Category: Kindness

Joy to Writers: Lessons from 2nd Grade

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 This week, I had the great pleasure of working with our 2nd grade students.  I did a short, guided listening activity in which I gave them multi-step directions and then they drew from memory.  The object they were creating was a girl, a simple shape by shape little girl with a party hat on her head and a present in one hand.  They all followed the directions perfectly. Then I asked them:  What is the girl’s name? Who is the present for?  What happened at the party?  Then on the back of their paper, they were asked to tell a story. It is still amazing to me what young children can do with a simple prompt.

A Grateful Writer

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Thanksgiving gave me time to pause, time to reflect on the changes happening in my own life and all around me.  It made stop and think about what I truly hold as important.  Blogging for the past five years, has given me the space in which I form and share ideas. I write about books, art, people, and concepts that intrigue me, that I want to learn more about.  By writing, I come to understand things at a much deeper level. 

Revisiting a Young Writer’s Practice

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As a child, I loved to write. The pencil was an extension of my hand and mind.  I found that all the stories in my head could be released onto beautiful blank white paper.  This revelation was exciting to me.  I couldn’t wait to jot down my stories. It took me some time to realize that not everyone in the world finds writing fun and adventurous.  It wasn’t until I became a teacher that I learned that there are children who have trouble getting their stories down on paper.

The Serene Art of Forest Bathing

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The muted, burnished colors reflected in the mountain pools were so incredibly soothing.  They blended together in wavy lines.  The trees, the leaves, the water became one, and I wanted to plunge in and cover myself in autumnal splendor.  It is in these moments that the real and the imagined join forces and cast a magical energy.

Art as Gratitude

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I hadn’t thought of art as a vehicle for gratitude, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was exactly that – art is a prayer sent out to all calling for peace, beauty, love, all the colors of the rainbow, the rain coming softly down washing everything clean. This weekend, I looked back at some of the photos I’ve taken and suddenly saw prayers of gratitude embedded in their images.

Summer Song

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Now, this summer, when there is so much to grieve, so much to be anxious about, I have been reminded to keep singing, keep that summer song in my heart and share it with others.  We only have a precious short time on this little spinning planet,  I know I must keep searching for small joys and sing them out loudly.

Poetry & Pasta: Kindergarten Wordplay

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My love of poetry extended into May this year as I read aloud to our Kindergarten classes.  I had read my poetry and facilitated poetry writing with students in 1st through 5th grades in the month of April.  Finally, I had a little more time to bring the joy of verse into Kindergarten.  I found the perfect picture book to share, Pasta, Pasta Lotsa Pasta by Aimee Lucido.  Since I am of Italian heritage, I found this book to be particularly fun and engaging.  Ms. Lucido’s wordplay is exquisite and invites  young children to join into the rhythm of the story.